Device for displaying operation of a microcomputer and method of displaying operation thereof

Abstract

The present invention is directed to a microcomputer training apparatus which is useful as a teaching aid for learning about the operation of a microcomputer. The present invention includes a front panel having a display section including numeral displays and light-emitting diodes corresponding to a variety of registers and memory in a central processing unit which represents a microcomputer. The present invention also includes a data bus display unit connecting the various register and memory displays having light-emitting diodes which are linearly arranged and which visually display the transfer of data across the data bus from one register to another, etc.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A device for visually displaying the operation of a microcomputer comprising: an arithmetic display section, an accumulator display section, a program counter display section, an instruction register display section, a T.B.C. register display section, a flag display section, an address read only memory display section, a presettable counter display section, a control read only memory display section, a memory display section, a memory address register display section, an input port display section and a clock generator display section for displaying a configuration of the microcomputer, each of said display sections being established divisionally on a front panel of a box-shaped training apparatus for simulating the operation of a microcomputer;   a hexadecimal keyboard and a control keyboard installed therein;   a data bus display unit connecting said display section; and   means for executing logic and arithmetic operations by orders for simulating the operation of a real microcomputer.   
     
     
       2. A device according to claim 1, further comprising a character display section which includes a 5×7 dot matrix character displays on the upper portion of the front panel of said training apparatus for simulating the operation of said microcomputer. 
     
     
       3. A device according to claim 1, wherein said of said display sections for displaying the configuration of the microcomputer is constituted of at least one hexadecimal displays and a series of light-emitting diodes, each of said light-emitting diodes for representing a single bit. 
     
     
       4. A device according to claim 3, wherein each of said light-emitting diodes is a two-colored light-emitting diode distinguished by red and green colors. 
     
     
       5. A device according to claim 1, wherein said data bus display section connected with each of said display sections for displaying the configuration of the microcomputer is constituted of a plurality of linearly arranged light-emitting diodes. 
     
     
       6. A device according to claim 5, wherien each of said light-emitting diode is a two-colored light-emitting diode distinguished by red and green colors. 
     
     
       7. A device according to claim 1, wherein in said control read only memory display section has a plurality of hexadecimal displays and monochromatic light-emitting diodes for displaying simulated control signals generated by said means, four of said monochromatic light-emitting diodes being provided below each hexadecimal display for displaying control signals in the instruction register display section. 
     
     
       8. A device according to claim 1, wherein said memory display section is constituted of at least one hexadecimal displays for displaying the addresses and at least one hexadecimal displays for displaying the data. 
     
     
       9. A device according to claim 8, wherein a monochromatic light-emitting diode for selecting the addresses is installed beside each of said hexadecimal displays for displaying the addresses. 
     
     
       10. A method for displaying the operation of a microcomputer wherein a real microcomputer is connected with a training apparatus for simulating the operation of a microcomputer which displays a configuration of the microcomputer in a form of block, comprising the steps simultaneously displaying contents of various register displays for simulating the operation of the microcomputer in the form of hexadecimal numbers (O-F) and binary numbers (1,0) by employing numeral displays and two-colored light-emitting diodes respectively, each color of said two-colored light-emitting diodes representing a single bit by a red light-emitting diodes corresponding to binary number 1 and a green light-emitting diodes corresponding to binary number 0, said two-color light-emitting diodes being lit to respectively display binary numbers corresponding to a displayed hexadecimal number; and   displaying the simulated data in a memory display in hexadecimal form together with a separate memory address display therefor.   
     
     
       11. A method according to claim 9, wherein a plurality of said two-colored light-emitting diodes (LED's) are linearly arranged between said register displays for simulating passage of binary data representing a hexadecimal number through a data bus, wherein an LED is lit to represent each bit of said hexadecimal number resulting in a pattern of lit LEDs representing said hexadecimal number, and said pattern is shifted by one LED at a time from one register display to another. 
     
     
       12. A method according to claim 14, wherein said simulating of passage of binary data is such that one bit of data is shifted completely and thereafter the next bit of data is shifted. 
     
     
       13. A method according to claim 10, further comprises the step of displaying an operational state of the microcomputer wherein setting states of input data to said memory and various register displays and a programming executing state of the microcomputer are displayed as characters by employing a 5×7 matrix character display.